Incremental sampling is an unbiased, structured soil sampling protocol that reduces data variability and increases sample representativeness. It accomplishes this through careful up-front planning that defines what the soil samples are intended to represent, and through use of specialized sample collection and processing procedures in both the field and laboratory.

The Incremental Sampling Subcommittee was established in 2017 as a special focus workgroup within the Engineering Forum, one of the EPA Technical Support Project’s (TSP) three technical forums. The primary objectives of the Incremental Sampling Subcommittee are to: 1.) establish a national incremental sampling community of practice, 2.) develop incremental sampling expertise in every EPA Region , 3.) Educate state and federal environmental professionals, and 4.) provide information on current and new incremental sampling topics and procedures.

Presentations are specifically designed for EPA staff including RPMs, OSCs, Corrective Action Managers, Superfund and Technology Liaisons, Chemists, Biologists, Physical Scientists, and Engineers from within EPA regions, program offices, laboratory system, and headquarters personnel as well as environmental professionals from state agencies, tribes, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, U.S. Dept. of Energy, and other federal agencies of all experience levels. THIS TRAINING IS NOT OPEN TO ACADEMIA, CONTRACTORS, CONSULTANTS OR OTHER PRIVATE ENTITIES.

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*This training is offered free of charge to all registrants who are confirmed to attend. One CLP will be issued for each session attended when you register and log on with the registration link provided to enable your attendance to be confirmed.*

To register for more training hosted by the Engineering Forum please visit: https://www.trainex.org/tsp-engforum

Measuring the concentrations of asbestos in contaminated soils is challenging. Data are often highly variable. Variability in soil measurements has led to limitations in comparing results from sites nationally and to difficulties in reproducing results, even from the same sites over time. The difficulties in collecting reproducible soil data limit the ability to extrapolate from concentrations in soil and compare to concentrations in air. This extrapolation is necessary if soil data are to be used in human health risk assessments. To address this substantial limitation of asbestos soil data, researchers from Regions 10 and 4 and the National Exposure Research Laboratory have conducted a series of efforts to advance the use of data that are collected, processed, and analyzed using the most reproducible methods. Efforts to date have compared discrete data and incremental samples comprised of various increments. More rigorous soil processing protocols have been implemented and the team had performance evaluation (PE) samples developed that would contain known quantities of asbestos. The study has also included a comparison of asbestos analytical methods. The soil data that have been collected from a variety of sites across the country and from the PE samples, will be compared to air data from activity-based sampling in an attempt to establish a quantitative relationship between asbestos soil concentrations and airborne fiber concentrations. This presentation provides an update on the EPA efforts under way and the challenges that lie ahead.

Presenter: Julie Wroble (Section Chief, U.S. EPA Region 10) and Tim Frederick (Section Chief, U.S. EPA Region 4)

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